Prosecutors in Taiwan have indicted nine people, including an employee of Nvidia's Taiwan branch and two employees of Super Micro Computer's Taiwanese subsidiary, over an alleged scheme to export high-end AI servers to China in breach of export controls. The Keelung District Prosecutors' Office announced the charges in a statement reported on 24 August 2026. American Bazaar calls it the first known crackdown on the black-market trade in such exports.
The indictment
According to prosecutors, the case centres on 130 AI servers containing Nvidia's B300 chips, ordered from Super Micro Computer. They allege that end-user certificates were falsified to give the impression the servers would be installed and used in a rented data centre in Taiwan. Prosecutors say 74 of the servers were exported and delivered to customers in China via direct shipments and transshipment in Indonesia, Japan and Hong Kong. The remaining 56 servers were due to be exported to a company in Japan, but Taiwanese customs officials noticed irregularities and stopped the shipment.
Eight of the defendants were indicted for breach of trust and document forgery, and a ninth over the alleged embezzlement of funds from one of the companies involved. The Nvidia employee, identified only by his surname, Zhang, allegedly organised shipments of the servers to China via Japan and Indonesia, helped obtain an allocation of servers and took part in an inspection of the data centre where the equipment was supposedly to be used. Prosecutors allege he intentionally concealed that the data centre buyer lacked sufficient financial resources and that the purchase money came from a Chinese company.
Prosecutors have asked the court to impose the maximum five-year prison sentence on Zhang and three other defendants, recommending shorter sentences for the remaining five. The indictment says the defendants were fully aware of strict export control procedures at Nvidia and Super Micro, and accuses them of colluding for exorbitant profits, driving up corporate compliance costs and seriously damaging Taiwan's international reputation. Zhang was first detained in July 2026.
Company responses
Neither Nvidia nor Super Micro is accused of wrongdoing. Super Micro said the company "continues to cooperate with Taiwan authorities, is not a target of their investigation and has not been accused of any wrongdoing". A Nvidia spokesperson said: "Our employees have every incentive to work diligently with customers to ensure compliance with all applicable laws. We will work with the Taiwan authorities to help them resolve the allegations as quickly as possible." When Zhang was detained, Nvidia said it sells primarily to well-known partners, including OEMs, who help ensure compliance with US export rules.
Wider context
The United States has restricted exports of advanced AI chips to China since October 2022, citing national security, and Taiwan has tightened its own controls. In the summer of 2025 the Trump administration granted export permits for Nvidia's H20 accelerators to China in return for a profit share for the US government. In November 2025 President Trump declared that Nvidia's most advanced chips would remain reserved for US companies, later permitting second-tier chips under case-by-case review. American Bazaar reports the restrictions have fed a black market in which advanced AI chips can reportedly sell for double or triple their original prices.
In March 2026, two senior Super Micro managers and another suspect were indicted in the United States for allegedly selling Nvidia chips to China illegally. According to the US Department of Justice, the servers were assembled in the US, shipped to Taiwan and then secretly moved to China. Heise reports it could not be verified whether that case is directly related to the Taiwan indictment.
What is established and what is merely claimed
Established so far:
- Nine people have been indicted by the Keelung District Prosecutors' Office, eight for breach of trust and document forgery and one over alleged embezzlement.
- The defendants include an Nvidia Taiwan employee surnamed Zhang and two employees of Super Micro's Taiwanese subsidiary.
- Taiwanese customs intercepted 56 of the 130 servers involved, and Zhang was detained in July 2026.
- Neither Nvidia nor Super Micro has been charged, and both say they are cooperating with the authorities.
Claimed but not proven:
- That 74 servers reached customers in China, and that end-user certificates were falsified to disguise the shipments.
- That Zhang knowingly concealed the buyer's lack of funds and the Chinese origin of the purchase money.
- That the defendants colluded deliberately for profit. None of these allegations has been tested in court.
- Any link between this case and the March 2026 indictment in the United States remains unverified.